The present invention provides a new and useful exercise device and method designed to provide a user with an exercise workout on a single device that enables the user to get significant exercise benefits.
In the applicant's experience, prior to the present invention, one of the best exercise devices available to provide a user with significant exercise benefits, in a workout of relatively short duration, is the ROM device. That device provides a user with at least 6 important exercise movements, sometimes referred to herein as core exercise movements, and enables a user to obtain a workout that incorporates those exercise movements, in a relatively short amount of time. Those core exercise movements are bench press, row, crunch, dead lift, leg step and raise.
The ROM device has a flywheel that produces variable resistance to each of those core exercise movements, except the leg raise.
The ROM device is an expensive device that in today's world costs on the order of $15,000.
Applicant believes there is a need, and a market, for an exercise device that can produce a workout that includes not only the 6 core exercise movements that the ROM enables, but that provides additional features not found in the ROM, and which can also enable a user to perform additional important exercise movements, in a relatively short workout time, and which costs the user significantly less than the ROM currently costs.
The device and method of the present invention is designed to enable a user to perform at least 8 important exercise movements (referred to herein as core exercise movements), with variable resistance applied to each core exercise movement. The 8 core exercise movements are (a) bench press and row, (b) military press and lat pull down, (c) crunch and dead lift, and (d) step and leg raise.
In addition, the exercise device of the present invention is designed to enable a user to get a complete workout of the 8 core exercise movements, in a time frame comparable to the type of time frame of the ROM, and with a device that is considerably less costly than the ROM.
Still further, the exercise device of the present invention is designed so that the user can set the amount of variable resistance that the user wants to apply to at least 6 of the core exercise movements, and then perform all of those 6 core exercise movements from a seated position on the device, without needing to reset the variable resistance. This enables the user to efficiently perform the 6 core movements, in a relatively short amount of time, from the seated position.
In this application, a “variable resistance” structure connected between the frame and a component means structure that provides resistance to movement of the component in opposite directions relative to the frame that varies with the amount of force exerted by a user against a component in either of the opposite directions. Thus, as user increases his/her effort to move the component in one of the opposite directions the resistance to that movement increases. Therefore, as a user performs core exercise movements that require movement of a component in opposite directions, the variable resistance structure between the component and the frame provides resistance that varies with the amount of force exerted by a user on the component in each of the opposite directions, thereby providing variable resistance to each core movement performed by a user on the exercise device.
Applicant's concept for providing variable resistance to each of the foregoing 8 core exercise movements is believed to provide significant exercise benefits, even in relation to the ROM device. For example, applicant's exercise device provides variable resistance to the leg raise exercise movement, and applicant believes the ROM device does not provide resistance to the leg raise movement. In addition, applicant's device provides variable resistance to a military press and lat pull down exercise movements, and applicant believes it would require a significant remake of the ROM device to add a military press and lat pull down exercise structure to the device.
Other features of the present invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings and exhibits.
Exhibits A-G are illustrations of a user performing bench press and crunch, and dead lift and row core exercise movements with an exercise device according to the present invention (Exhibits A-E taken from the side of the device and Exhibits F and G taken from the front of the device, facing the user);
Exhibits H-K are illustrations of a user performing military press and lat pull down core exercise movements with an exercise device according to the present invention (Exhibits H and I taken from the side of the device, and Exhibits J and K taken from the front of the device, facing the user);
Exhibits L and M are illustrations of the manner in which a user can perform additional exercise movements in which the user individually operates certain of the components of the device, while seated on the device, in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and
Exhibits N-Q are illustrations of a user performing step and leg lift core exercise movements with an exercise device according to the present invention.